Surrounded by supporters, Joshua Correa, a local activist who attends church in Placentia, center, speaks in opposition of a proposed gang injunction during a press conference outside the Orange County Central Justice Center courthouse on Monday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Opponents of a proposed gang injunction in Placentia gather outside the Orange County Central Justice Center courthouse to express their opinions and frustrations during a press conference on Monday. JOSHUA SUDOCK, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SANTA ANA – A judge gave preliminary approval Monday to a pair of gang injunctions targeting rival crews in two of Placentia’s oldest neighborhoods, while also giving more time for dozens of suspected members to fight their inclusion in the gang crackdown.

The ruling by Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson immediately restricts the actions of seven members of the Plas and La Jolla street gangs.

However, another 44 suspected gang members who either showed up to Monday’s hearings or who are currently behind bars will not be subject to the terms of the injunction until they have more time to challenge their place in the lawsuit, the judge decided.

A few dozen community members and people of all ages who oppose the injunctions filled the courtroom and adjacent hallway during Monday’s hearings. Many spoke against restrictive law enforcement tactics during a rally outside the courthouse during the noon hour, saying their neighborhoods are safe.

“We’re not afraid to step outside our homes,” said Placentia resident Jennifer Rodas, 22, one of the organizers of the community opposition to the injunctions.

Gang injunctions are civil court orders limiting the actions of documented gang members in specific areas where law enforcement has identified increases in gang-related crime.

Those named in the injunctions are barred from associating with other gang members, publicly consuming alcohol, selling drugs, showing gang signs or wearing gang clothes, among other restrictions. Ignoring the terms of a gang injunction can land someone in contempt of court, a misdemeanor that carries up to a six-month sentence.

“The people we are protecting are the people who live and work in these safety zones, the people who have to deal with the drugs and the graffiti and the bullets at night,” Assistant District Attorney Tracy Miller said.

“When you live next to a gang member, it is very hard to call the police and not expect retaliation.”

Combined, the two Placentia injunctions cover a little more than a mile of largely residential neighborhoods, including apartments and single-family homes. The identified “safety zones” also include a shopping plaza, two public schools and parks.

In their court filings, police noted that several dozens of incidents of drug and guns sales, at least nine robberies and more than 20 assaults have taken place in the two gang areas in recent years.

Gang injunctions have become a common tool of law enforcement across Southern California. If permanently approved, the Placentia gangs would become the target of the 14th and 15th Orange County gang injunctions.

Authorities say they pursue the injunctions at the request of residents fed up with violence, intimidation and vandalism in their community, but afraid of confronting gang members.

“We’ve seen vandalism-type crimes all the way up to homicides that have occurred,” Placentia police Chief Ward Smith said Monday.

Most previous injunctions in California – including the first dozen in Orange County – were approved with little debate. That changed several years ago, when activists fought a gang injunction in Orange and when a Santa Barbara judge shot down a proposed injunction in that city.

A 2014 injunction targeting the Townsend Street gang in Santa Ana is working through the O.C. court system, with three individuals still fighting to keep their names off the lawsuit.

Residents opposed to the injunctions question the level of violence described by authorities. The protestors contend that those targeted by the injunctions wrongly have their civil rights taken away.

“Crime is at historic lows,” said Michelle Martinez, who lived in Placentia for years until recently moving to Chino Hills. “This is a shock to all of us.”

Martinez, who was among those protesting outside the courthouse on Monday, said she grew up in Placentia, graduated high school in 1984 and knows one of the people listed in the injunctions, a man who is about 40 years old and just got out of a three-year stint in prison.

“He just got out and is ready to turn his life around with his wife and kid,” she said, “and now he’s put on the gang injunction. It’s the fast track to prison.”

Organizers submitted a letter to Wilson on Monday with 300 signatures, asking him to refuse the injunction.

“We believe a community center with a job placement/employment network center would be more beneficial to our community in fighting crime,” the letter says.

“The pride, self-worth and sense of accomplishment that our young people will attain from employment is what we feel will keep them away from crime and illegal activities.”

Wilson raised no concerns about the admissibility or legitimacy of injunctions. Instead, the judge focused on determining how those the district attorney served with the injunction will be allowed to challenge their designation as gang members.

The judge will hear arguments for a permanent injunction, as well as adding the 44 people who aren’t included on the preliminary injunction, at a Jan. 19 hearing.

Related Links

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.